Channel leaders, professionals, and up-and-comers gathered at the MSP Summit 2025 to learn, connect, and strategize about future success. Informa’s annual conference, held from Sept. 15–17 at the Loews Royal Pacific in Orlando, featured keynotes, peer workshops, and product showcases. Overall, it focused on the evolving needs of MSPs in a rapidly changing tech landscape.
The summit offered a clear message: MSPs must adapt, integrate, and innovate to stay competitive.
Platform Strategy: One Size Doesn’t Fit All
One of the most anticipated sessions was Day 2’s The Platform Revolution: Shaping the Future of MSP Business Models. It featured executives from three of the channel’s biggest platform providers. Kaseya Chief Product Officer Jim Lippie, ConnectWise Chief Product and Technology Officer David Raissipour, and N-able EVP and Chief Technology and Product Officer Mike Adler shared their views on the future of MSP platforms. All three platform leaders stressed the importance of integration and openness during the panel, which was moderated by Informa’s Kelly Danziger and Robert C. DeMarzo.
(From left): Kelly Danziger, Jim Lippie, David Raissipour, Mike Adler, and Robert C. DeMarzo
Adler, who separately spoke to ChannelPro in an interview, emphasized the need for flexibility and best-of-breed solutions. “You’re going to see a difference in how [each company approaches] platformization. We used to think of the platform as a singular tech stack with a single pane of glass, and that all the features were going to be within it. I don’t know that’s really going to be true as we move forward, especially in a secure, cyber-resilient world.”
Many MSPs prefer to build their own packages of observability, detection and response, and recovery tools, Adler noted. So, vendors must support that with seamless integration. “Best of breed across a wide variety of solutions have to come together. And they have to be integrated in a way that an MSP can use them effectively and efficiently.”
AI Moves from Buzzword to Business Driver
AI was another dominant topic throughout the event. One particular panel, moderated by Rich Freeman of Channel Mastered, featured how some top MSPs are leveraging AI to revolutionize service delivery. Anunta Vice President of Go-to-market & Growth Jacci Robinson, 360 SOC Inc. CEO Chris Ichelson, and AKATI Securiti CEO Krishna Rajagopal offered practical insights on deploying AI in SOC environments and internal operations.
Among the highlights they shared in the panel, AI Transformation Leaders: How Top MSPs Are Revolutionizing Service Delivery Through Artificial Intelligence:
- Ichelson said AI can help address the staffing challenges: “You are literally looking at the best assistant you have in your life sitting next to you. Just maybe put in a few hours to actually learn how to use it properly and get the outputs you’re looking for.” (Note: 360 SOC was later awarded the CyberSecurity MSP of the Year award by Channel Futures and Informa.)
- Rajagopal urged MSPs to focus on solving real problems before chasing ROI: “Focus on your internal challenges first. Is it a problem internally that you want to improve, or is it service delivery? Focus on that issue. … Think about the problem you’re trying to solve.”
- Robinson stressed the importance of internal experimentation: “Be Customer Zero of your own solution. The amount of insight and data that you’ll be able to uncover from being Customer Zero is so powerful.”
Jacqueline D’Ambrosi, vice president of partnerships for Colorado MSP NexusTek, said the information shared throughout the event was beneficial for her. “It’s definitely helpful in keeping up on industry trends and analysis. And then, of course, looking for partnerships that will enrich our portfolio and expand it and augment as we go.”
Kaseya’s Strategic Shift Under New Leadership
In a keynote interview, Kaseya’s Lippie discussed the company’s evolving strategy under new CEO Rania Succar — who succeeded longtime chief executive Fred Voccola — and a revamped executive team.
Lippie, a former MSP himself, emphasized that innovation must span business practices, customer experience, and product development. And Kaseya’s new leadership team together can help build that for MSPs.
Jim Lippie (left) is interviewed by Robert C. DeMarzo.
“I understand the challenges that you face every single day as a CEO of MSP … back when the market was a little bit different,” he said. “That’s the lens in which I look at this business. What’s exciting with the [leadership] change is that we have a really great combination of executives that understand what it is to be an MSP … and folks coming in that understand how to run a business at scale.”
Meanwhile, Lippie shared that Kaseya has invested in AI, expanded third-party integrations with companies like SentinelOne, and has focused its 42-product portfolio on high-impact areas like cybersecurity and backup.
“We’ve done a lot of good things over the last several years, but there are also a lot of things we need to improve if we’re truly going to make it to the next level,” he said. “You’re going to see us make some announcements at DattoCon, our event at the beginning of October, around what we’re calling ‘digital assistants.’
“Ultimately, what we’re building is a platform that has capabilities, as opposed to just products. And when you opt in, we’re going to correlate all of those data points for you and provide the insights that you need to make your jobs easier and your companies more efficient.”
RELATED: Read ChannelPro’s interview with Lippie at Kaseya Global Connect 2025.
What MSPs Should Do Next
Experts featured at the MSP Summit encouraged MSPs to take action. That’s the case whether it’s experimenting with AI, rethinking platform strategy, or onboarding new employees, they said.
The key is to address it the right way, as Robinson concluded.
“You don’t want to start at tools. What you want to start at is frameworks. Take whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish, sit down with it for a while, and think about all the layers that need to happen in order for you to achieve your outcome. Once you have that framework, then you can layer in, whether you’re building something yourself or doing low-code/no-code toolsets that sit in between, to drive that outcome.”
Anjali Fluker is senior channel editor for The ChannelPro Network, where she covers news, trends, and best practices for the MSP community. She specializes in telling the stories that matter to IT providers serving the SMB market. When she’s not reporting on the latest in managed services, she’s connecting with channel pros at industry events across the country.
Images: Channel Partners Events/Informa via LinkedIn
